Shu Yu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Everything that needed to be said had been said, and He Yue didn't know if Shu Yu had understood. From now on, it was up to her to decide. No matter how much others said, nothing beats firsthand experience.
The following day, Shu Yu was brought into the palace by palace staff and moved into a side hall of Yonghe Palace.
The head of Yonghe Palace was Consort Yu, of the Geng clan. Consort Yu was a low-key, humble, and kind person. When Heyue learned that Shuyu was staying there, she was relieved.
As long as it's not in the palaces of Consort Qi or Consort Nian, it's fine.
In this selection process, besides Shu Yu, several other concubines were also selected. Shu Yu was the most prestigious among them, and therefore was directly granted the title of Noble Lady upon entering the palace.
Shu Yu was favored as soon as she entered the palace, standing out among the other newly arrived concubines and becoming the object of everyone's flattery and envy.
He Yue knew the truth about this matter, but was powerless to do anything about it. She could only hope that Shu Yu could resist the emperor's temptations and not do anything foolish.
In addition, Emperor Yongzheng bestowed a marriage upon Hongchang, Guarjia Wenyu, and the wedding took place in June of this year.
A few days ago, Heyue went to the palace to pay her respects and pretended to run into this Guarjia woman in the Imperial Garden. She was indeed a Manchu girl with a remarkable appearance and temperament. She was polite and spoke elegantly, and Heyue was very satisfied.
Although Hongchang couldn't formally meet his future daughter-in-law, Heyue still managed to get him a sneak peek from the shadows.
In short, Hongchang, who was very picky about his future wife, had no more objections. He was happy all day long, eagerly waiting for his new wife to enter the family. All his former cleverness and wit had disappeared.
He Yue could only sigh, "It really is an era that judges people by their appearance."
Tongxuan was also betrothed to Fushengge and sent back to Prince Yi's residence to await marriage.
The childhood sweethearts finally got their wish.
Prince Yi's mansion had two more happy events this year, and Heyue was so busy that she couldn't take care of Shuyu in the palace.
Heyue had already prepared Tongxuan's dowry, and with the addition of what the palace had prepared, Tongxuan's wedding would be on par with that of a princess.
There was no need to teach her the rules; Tongxuan had learned them a lot at Prince Yong's residence, and with the help of nannies in the palace, she never made a mistake.
Hongchang's wedding came first, followed by Tongxuan's marriage. The household was preparing for Hongchang's wedding first.
Ancient weddings consisted of six rites: betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony itself.
After the imperial decree was issued to grant the marriage, Guarjia Wenyu's parents and relatives had already rushed over from Shengjing, expressed their gratitude towards the palace, and moved into their residence in the capital.
First, the Prince's Mansion sent someone to the Guarjia family to propose marriage and accept betrothal gifts. Then came the questioning of names, the acceptance of auspicious omens, and the presentation of betrothal gifts. The marriage was then considered settled.
The wedding day was set for the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, and then all that was left was to wait for the wedding procession.
Heyue finally has some free time.
On this day, Heyue went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress and took the opportunity to inquire about Shuyu's recent situation.
Although Heyue, as a lady-in-waiting, was not supposed to inquire about the current situation of the concubines in the palace, the Empress was speechless and could not say anything when Heyue asked so directly. She sent someone to invite Consort Shu over.
Consort Shu is Shu Yu.
Manchu surnames are quite long, and generally only the first character of the concubine's surname or given name is added before her rank.
Shu Yu belonged to the Irgen Gioro clan and was called Noble Lady Shu.
Because Yonghe Palace is located in the Eastern Six Palaces and is quite far from Yongshou Palace, it took Shu Yu a full half hour to arrive.
Shu Yu entered Yonghe Palace and first bowed to the Empress: "This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"No need for formalities, Consort Shu. Look who has arrived." The Empress smiled kindly, gesturing for Shu Yu to dispense with the formalities.
Shu Yu stood up, and her eyes lit up when she saw He Yue. Then she curtsied respectfully to He Yue and said, "Shu Yu greets Aunt."
Because she was in front of the Empress, He Yue couldn't reminisce with Shu Yu, so she stood up and nodded, saying, "Greetings, Consort Shu."
After the two sat down, Heyue asked impatiently, "How is Consort Shu?"
Shu Yu smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I'm doing well."
Shu Yu looked to be in good health, and He Yue believed her.
Finally, Emperor Yongzheng did not wrong Shu Yu.
"You two, aunt and nephew, have a deep bond. Since entering the palace, Consort Shu has always been well-behaved and has never made a mistake. The Emperor also dotes on Consort Shu. Yet you rushed over here, eager to see Consort Shu with your own eyes. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the Emperor and I had wronged Consort Shu."
The Empress said these words as if she were joking.
He Yue remained composed and smiled slightly: "I am not worried about Shu Yu suffering any grievances. However, since I have watched her grow up since she was a child, I treat her like my own daughter. I am worried that she might be impolite or cause trouble on her first visit to the palace. It is thanks to Her Majesty the Empress's care that Consort Shu is doing well. I will trouble Her Majesty the Empress to take good care of her in the future."
The Empress was very satisfied with He Yue's humble attitude, and her smile deepened: "Princess Consort Yi need not worry. I think Consort Shu is just like you were back then, so lovely and lovable. I will take good care of her."
After talking for a quarter of an hour, Heyue left Yongshou Palace, and Shuyu came out with her.
Heyue stopped and gently reminded Shuyu, "You need to be more careful in the palace. You did very well today."
When they first met Shu Yu, Shu Yu did not show any surprise or loss of composure in public. She still greeted him and spoke according to etiquette, which showed that Shu Yu knew how to be patient.
Only those who know how to be patient and patient can thrive in the palace.
Shu Yu smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Auntie, Shu Yu understands."
"Your mother is worried about you. You must take good care of yourself in the palace and listen to the advice of the nannies around you."
In the palace, it was common for concubines to have pregnancies and miscarriages. Shuyu was naive and didn't know any better. Heyue was worried that she might be pregnant but not realize it and suffer the consequences.
The nanny beside Shu Yu was arranged by Thirteen and is very reliable. With her around, Shu Yu can be reminded of things from time to time.
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